Chapter 65

“Ivan, when I see a guard like you standing and dozing off, it appears that the world has indeed improved.”

“Huh...!”

Startled by the hushed voice echoing in his ears, Ivan raised his head.

His blurred vision gradually cleared, revealing the sunny interior of the familiar barracks.

Swiftly adjusting his posture as if expecting a trained agent’s arrival in an unfamiliar setting, Ivan surveyed the surroundings.

“What...?”

Scanning the barracks, Ivan momentarily lost his words and mumbled in bewilderment.

The roaring bear emblem hung on the red banner, a spacious barracks, a massive wooden table with a tactical map spread across it.

Behind the desk, a colossal silhouette stood with solid shoulders, thick arms, and even shining azure eyes.

“Oh...”

“Ivan? Are you injured somewhere?”

“Ah...”

Setting down the clattering utensils, the man slowly stood up.

A large shadow cast over the barracks, dimming the lighting. Ivan, with relaxed legs, knelt on one knee and lowered his head.

“My king... I acknowledge your presence.”

“Yes, I acknowledge you. What are you up to now?”

“I...”

Ivan looked up with confused eyes.The inaugural upload of this chapter took place via N0v3l-B1n.

A warm gaze full of concern, a giant hand patting his shoulder, then withdrawing.

‘The Great One,’ ‘Brain Commander,’ ‘Krasilov’s Bear,’ ‘Conqueror,’ ‘Great King’... the man who was called by countless names by both enemies and allies.

Now, he was looking down at him. With the same gaze as in those days, with the same face.

This must be a dream.

Ivan quickly snapped back to reality.

If this is a dream from that time, he must not make a mistake. He might wake up the moment there’s a discrepancy between the dream and his memories.

Think. This situation must be a memory from his past, an extraordinary and memorable one.

He can’t wake up. Not yet.

Then, on Ivan’s desk, he saw the utensils. Ah, it was that time.

It was a time when he had recently served as the Great King’s guard. He remembers. It was the day he witnessed the King’s banquet for the first time.

The question he asked that day was undoubtedly...

“Upon Your Majesty’s arrival, I thought of providing a slightly better meal.” (Ivan)

“Hmm? Haha! Is this what you call better? Isn’t it all a mess?”

“It’s not the rations for conscripts.” (Ivan)

“True.”

The Great King chuckled as he mashed the potato with his fork. He spread it on a tough biscuit, soaked it in water, and stirred for a while before speaking.

“This is the hypocrisy of nobility.”

“Hypocrisy... you say...?” (Ivan)

“If the common folk hear that I eat such things, they would gladly praise. ‘Oh, our humble king!’ Haha, that’s ridiculous.”

The Great King splashed water and set the glass down.

“Do you know the cost for the nobles and royals, these noble beings, to eat precious food and produce precious waste? There was a time when the food consumed by ten nobles was equivalent to the rations of an entire battalion.”

“....”

“If they ate less, how much would the survival rate of soldiers increase? We could provide sturdier armor and a bit more ammunition. Now, Ivan, do you know what you need to do to tell those noble folks to eat less?”

The Great King shrugged and tapped the empty plate.

“I eat less first. If there’s a daring soul who dares to eat something more precious than the king of this country, well, I might acknowledge that boldness and send them to the forefront. So, what do you think of my hypocrisy?”

“Why that is considered hypocrisy is...”

“Well, I don’t want to eat this kind of stuff either.”

The Great King laughed heartily and patted Ivan’s shoulder.

“So, it’s not hypocrisy, right? I’m not doing this because I truly want to; I’m just putting on a show to mock those nobles who try to save a penny. How can this not be hypocrisy? Hm? Now, Ivan. Show the terrifying greed that only a king can display.”

The Great King playfully walked to the table, opened a drawer underneath, and revealed half-dried grapes, a lump of smoked ham, and a bottle of milk.

“Truly frightening, isn’t it? This is the dreadful result of the king’s greed and luxury.”

“Well... um.”

Ivan revived his senses and took a step forward.

The last scene he was witnessing was when he leaped beyond the magical threshold at the edge of a cliff.

Now, he believed that he had finally arrived at the ancient ruins.

“This is...”

His blurred vision quickly regained clarity, and the sensations that had vanished returned to his body one by one.

Ivan shrugged lightly and looked around. A well-polished corridor, a massive stone pillar, intricately carved reliefs on marble, a colossal ceiling...

It was a vast hall with enigmatic stone statues lined up.

“A temple...?”

Ivan cautiously stood up and moved forward. Along with the distant sound of the wind, he heard faint breathing from somewhere closer.

Approaching the source of the sound, he found Elphiera lying neatly on the floor with closed eyes.

“Wake up.”

Ivan lightly slapped Elphiera’s cheek. A *smack* sound accompanied Elpheira’s startled awakening.

“Wha-?! What’s all this sudden...!”

“Hush.”

We don’t know what might be here, so stay quiet for now.

Elpheira, who had closed her mouth at Ivan’s gesture and was looking around, suddenly muttered.

“Geez... It was such an amazing dream...”

“Perhaps.”

“You human. Stupid, clueless, and rude. Where did you learn to wake up a sleeping person like that, you dumbass....”

“You’re not fully awake yet.”

Ivan raised his hand, looking at Elpheira grumbling. If she hadn’t fully woken up from the dream, he was willing to wake her up again.

Elpheira, still startled, touched her cheek and shook her head.

“You should start interpreting ancient languages.” (Ivan)

“Where?” (Elpheira)

“Right here, all of this.” (Ivan)

Ivan gestured towards the reliefs filling the ceiling and marble pillars.

Elpheira raised her head absentmindedly, then slowly opened her mouth and chuckled with a disappointed expression.

“All of this...?”

“Isn’t that why we came?” (Ivan)

“I’m not very good with physical labor because I’m more of a ‘use my brain’ type.”

“Can you read it?”

“Look at me... Of course, I can. Let me see... Hmm... Hm?”

Elpheira approached the nearest marble pillar, furrowed her brows for a while, and then said.

“Didn’t you say it was an artifact from 1500 years ago?”

“Yes.”

“If that’s your interpretation, then you should have called a priest, not a mage.”

Elpheira stepped back with a bewildered expression.

“A priest?”

“Yes, in ancient Delenian... Well, the language used in the scriptures. Even though it’s an archaic language, priests learn it in their basic training.”

“Impossible for you?”

“As if. Of course, I can do that too. Human, what do you think I am?” (Elphiera)

“...”

Elpheira perked up her ears as she scanned the reliefs.

“This... is a Victory Monument, isn’t it?”

“Victory Monument.” (Ivan)

“Yes, full of praises for the god of light. A Victory Monument... What kind of formidable opponent did they fight against to create such a grand relic...”

“Hmm.”

Was there anything like ‘Ancient Demon-Sealed Era Ruins’ in the Academy’s ‘Common Knowledge’?

It would be better if there wasn’t.

Ivan checked his weapons and clicked his tongue.

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